Surefire warranty going down the crapper?

[jhanko]

I sent an L4 in for warranty repair quite a while back. It's been so long that I forgot about it. On my way home from work today, it dawned on me that I hadn't gotten it back. I called Surefire and was told they have it, but do not have the parts to repair it or another light to replace it. I asked if they had a comparable substitute (maybe an M6, LOL!) they could send and was told that there is nothing. They don't have any high output LED's available. I was told that the best they could do is send the light back to me as-is. What good is this warranty if they can't honor it? Sorry, need to vent....

Jeff

 

[mossyoak]

thats very strange. i cant figure out how they could be out of l4's but they are very busy making lights for the military and i tihnk that is one of the more popular lights used.

 

[mdocod]

I'm actually glad that you shared this... This is a pretty common around here, long turn-around on warranty work. Some people have great luck (I have) and others have trouble like you.. But I think anytime a company feels justified in charging $200-300 for tubes of aluminum, the customer base should be informed of just how good that warranty is, and if it isn't up to par, potential customers should also be made aware, so they can make an educated decision about whether they would do business with said company.

 

[iced_theater]

They must have high output LED's as I sent in my L7 and they had it back to me in just 11 days from when I sent it to them.

 

[Art Vandelay]

What's wrong with your L4?

I sent an L4 in for warranty repair quite a while back. It's been so long that I forgot about it. On my way home from work today, it dawned on me that I hadn't gotten it back. I called Surefire and was told they have it, but do not have the parts to repair it or another light to replace it. I asked if they had a comparable substitute (maybe an M6, LOL!) they could send and was told that there is nothing. They don't have any high output LED's available. I was told that the best they could do is send the light back to me as-is. What good is this warranty if they can't honor it? Sorry, need to vent....

Jeff

 

[jhanko]

What's wrong with your L4?

I believe there is a short in the converter. No light, but the batteries will get very hot if left on for a couple of minutes. I was told the Military is buying up everything and they cannot keep up with demand. He said the L4 has been on backorder for over 6 months. I completely agree that they should supply our troops before selling to consumers. but is it too much to ask to keep a few on the shelf for customers who have already forked out thier hard earned cash.

Jeff

 

[Art Vandelay]

It seems like most of the time I hear a complaint about Surefire it's from people who are waiting for an L4.

 

[jhanko]

One thing I wanted to add... I'm really not too upset about this as I am fortunate enough to have many other lights (including 3 other L4's) to EDC/play with. I feel sorry for the person that can't afford multiple lights and had to save up to buy one, making it his pride and joy, only to find out he now has nothing...

 

[tick398]

It must be the L4...just today I got around to calling because the tailcap on my E1L needs to be replaced. No questions asked...they didn't even want the old one...they are sending out a new one. I am sorry to hear about your issue...as I have never had a bad circumstance when dealing with Surefire customer service. I hope they make it right soon.

 

[ABTOMAT]

Seems like L4s and U2s are behind schedule, and some tailcaps too. I just sent in an M6 and got it back 14 days later with almost everything replaced.

 

[BBL]

I waited 10 weeks for my first Z57-replacement... currently, i'm waiting the 3rd week for the second Z57.
Thats surefire-roulette.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

That is troublesome. I'd be pretty pissed and start rolling some heads if I received such a response. Work up the ladder, send emails, etc. I believe that there is an amount of time that would be considered "reasonable" for warranty repairs, and it sounds like you may have exceeded this reasonable timeframe. Don't give up!

 

[Gator762]

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

+1 PhantomPhoton said.
Start calling and complaining, sending emails, etc. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

You may want to call LApolicegear to verify it's in stock. A five second Google search brought them up, availability is listed at "Usually ships the same business day." Linky for info:
http://www.lapolicegear.com/sul4lu.html?gclid=CPfmxrLVnIsCFRBCgQodcgVkQQ

Pardon my French, but that is ALL SORTS of BS leaving you high an dry with your warranty while they seem to be able to find the LEDs when someone is waving cash in their face.

 

[Lobo]

I have to agree, this is pretty bad. When you pay that amount of cash and expect great service, and they let you hang and dry like this. Especially when there doesnt seem to be a shortage of the light in question if you want to buy a new one.

 

[DM51]

For a premium product, you should get premium service. This is terrible service, and they haven't been straight with you either. This is just blatant BS.

 

[ACMarina]

I was happy to wait 6 weeks to get my replacement KL4 head. It's not like I don't have other lights to keep me busy

The warranty is in fine shape IMO - they are just in extremely short supply of the KL4/L4 for a very good reason. And I wouldn't look at the amount of lights that retailers have in stock as ANY indication of where these lights are being sent, as it's hard to tell how long they've had them on hand. Haven't you even been in a store and saw something for sale from a company that doesn't even exist anymore??

 

[clipse]

It must be the L4...just today I got around to calling because the tailcap on my E1L needs to be replaced. No questions asked...they didn't even want the old one...they are sending out a new one. I am sorry to hear about your issue...as I have never had a bad circumstance when dealing with Surefire customer service. I hope they make it right soon.

I had the same problem with my Surefire E1L not that long ago. I got my tailcap the next week. A few days later I got another one from surefire in the mail.

Sorry to hear your troubles on the L4.

 

[Heck]

Sounds like normal warranty work when I had to deal with Surefire......and I do notice a lot of talk about the L4. But at the same time, I realized a lot of people who praise the warranty work regards simple problems that are easily taken cared of....that being said, I also had negative experience with simple stuff like bulb failures..switch failures..etc.

 

[Metrotex]

With other quality companies out there ie... Streamlight, Pelican, Fenix and the ability to modify with members like Fivemega and AW, I see no need to ever have to deal with SureFire, they are over-rated anyway JMHO.

 

[Gator762]

I was happy to wait 6 weeks to get my replacement KL4 head. It's not like I don't have other lights to keep me busy

The warranty is in fine shape IMO - they are just in extremely short supply of the KL4/L4 for a very good reason. And I wouldn't look at the amount of lights that retailers have in stock as ANY indication of where these lights are being sent, as it's hard to tell how long they've had them on hand. Haven't you even been in a store and saw something for sale from a company that doesn't even exist anymore??

For each one in stock at a retailer, it's some poor guy getting fvcked out of his warranty service. Plain and simple. Not everyone has multiple Surefire flashlights.

IMHO, you are giving them far more leeway than you should. The Iraq war started in 2003. Just over four years now. That is plenty of time to increase manufacturing capacity, or find a suitable high-quality OEM manufacturer to help meet demand.

It's simple business practice, not rocket science.